Editor’s Note:  In a letter sent to its membership today, the Indian River Neighborhood Association announced its endorsement of plans to develop a fended in off-lease dog park on city land surrounding Bob Summers Field in MacWilliam Park.  The following is the text of the letter sent from IRNA Executive Director Dan Lamson.  

The IRNA is pleased to endorse the Friends of the Vero Beach Dog Park’s plans to establish a fenced in off-leash dog park where well-behaved dogs can exercise in a clean, safe environment without endangering people, property, or wildlife.

The park, located in the area behind Bob Summers Baseball Field near Riverside Park, has been used as an informal dog park for over a decade. The current plan, at no expense to the city, would be very beneficial to neighborhoods in the area.

The Friends of the Vero Beach Dog Park also will encourage all residents and non-residents to visit the park, free of charge, with or without dogs. While the park may be made for dogs, everyone is welcome.

Visit this link to download a presentation about the park. In there you’ll find all sorts of info about why the dog park is needed and how great it will be to have. Also there are some beautiful conceptual designs for how the park will look once City Council give the project final approval.

Dog Parks are the fastest growing segment of city parks. Vero doesn’t have one, but Sebastian and Fort Pierce both have ‘bark parks’ and they have been incredibly successful.

Sebastian Councilmember Andrea Coy was a proponent of the dog park in Sebastian: “The City of Sebastian has had a dog park since August 2009. The Bark Park has become one of our most used facilities and the residents really appreciate the enclosed safe space for the dogs to socialize and exercise. Overall, the Bark Park was a relatively small investment with a very high return.”

And one of the best parts about the Vero dog park is that it is free!

The IRNA’s Board of Directors recently voted to approve the dog park and to support the mission of the Friends of the Vero Beach Dog Park. They have collected over 3000 signatures, and only a small percentage of them have been online. The majority of the signatures have been at local businesses and events. If you are interested in throwing your support behind this initiative, I encourage you to sign this petition.

Thank you for your support,

Dan Lamson

Executive Director

Indian River Neighborhood Association